Method and apparatus for repairing and sealing  door and window jambs, frames, thresholds, and exterior trim

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for the repair of exterior surfaces of a building and more specifically to protective covers of a water and environmentally resistant material that are pre-dimensioned to be used in the repair of standard sized door or window jambs, frames, thresholds or exterior trim and that may have pre-formed grooves to provide for the repair of non-standard sized door or window jambs, frames, thresholds or exterior trim. The protective covers may further be included in a kit that provides for a homeowner to easily size the covers to the appropriate dimension and perform a repair.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/219,264 filed Mar. 19, 2014 and claims the benefit ofpending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/910,336 filed Nov.30, 2013 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING AND SEALING WOODENDOOR AND WINDOW JAMBS both of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to protective covers for the repair ofexterior surfaces of a building that are susceptible to environmentalelements or pests. The present invention more specifically relates toprotective covers and jamb shield guards made from water andenvironmentally resistant materials that are pre-dimensioned or thatprovide preformed grooves aligned along the length and or width of thecover to provide for a user to cut along the groove and snap off anexcess portion of the cover to properly fit over and seal all or aportion of standard or non-standard sized door or window jambs, frames,thresholds, or exterior trim. The protective covers may further beincluded in a kit that provides for a homeowner to easily size thecovers to the appropriate dimensions and perform the repair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In most homes wood is commonly used in the construction of door andwindow jambs, frames, thresholds and exterior trim. The door or windowjamb surrounds a door or window and affixes the frame of the door orwindow to a building. A threshold is at the base of the entryway of adoor. Stain or paint is used to seal the wood and over time the sealantmay chip causing cracking and degradation of the wood. The degradationis unsightly and causes air gaps that allow cold air and rain fromoutside a building to enter, causing drafts and increasing heatingcosts. The degradation also may cause rot and deterioration of the woodand structural elements of the building. While environmentally resistantthermoplastic materials are now more often used for door and windowjambs, frames, trim, thresholds, and other exterior surfaces on newlybuilt homes and other buildings, what is not known is a method to easilyrepair and seal degraded jambs, frames, thresholds, or other exteriortrim surfaces. Currently, a common method to repair a door jamb is toreplace the entire door, jamb and casing at a high cost. A repair thatmay be even more costly is the repair of degradation around a garagedoor. To repair the frame of a garage door, the track railings or rollerbrackets that guide the garage door must be removed from the frame, theframe must then be replaced and then the track railings must bereinstalled, a process that requires a number of hours of a skilledinstaller's time for proper repair. The present invention allows abuilding owner to keep older doors or windows in order to maintain thehistory and integrity of the architectural aesthetic of older structureswithout significant expense. The present invention also provides a wayto repair the frame around a garage door without removing the railings.Additionally, the present invention provides a barrier from outsideelements by creating a seal around any gaps or openings in the degradedwooden jamb, frame, threshold, or trim.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Door and window jambs that surround and support the door or windowframes, the frames around doors, windows or garage doors, thresholds,and exterior trim surfaces are commonly painted or stained wood thatdegrades over time as paint and sealants chip away exposing theuntreated wood to environmental elements and pests. The current methodto repair deteriorating wooden door and window jambs, frames, or otherexterior trim surfaces is to remove and replace the entire door orwindow along with the wooden jamb or the entire frame or exterior trim.This process costs a considerable amount of money and takes a fairlysignificant amount of time to complete. Generally, this process is leftto professionals in order to execute the construction and installationproperly, particularly in the replacement of doors, garage doors orwindows. Alternatively, a portion of the degraded wooden jamb of a door,or a portion of a frame, threshold or trim may be removed and bereplaced with another piece of wood that is cut and inserted into thechiseled out portion of the jamb, frame, threshold possibly causing gapsor an unsightly mismatch of finish where the two pieces do not fitperfectly together. The removal of a portion of the wooden jamb, frame,threshold or trim may take a considerable amount of time and labor asthe wood is chipped out piece by piece using a chisel. The presentinvention saves significant time and money and allows a homeowner orothers having limited technical knowledge to easily repair and seal dooror window jambs, frames, thresholds, or other exterior surfaces thathave deteriorated over time.

The present invention is related to pre-fit protective covers thatprovide for a user to easily size and install the protective cover overa doorjamb, garage door frame, window jamb or frame, threshold or otherexterior surface and seal the protective cover over the degradedsurfaces. The protective covers are dimensioned to a standard size inwidth and length that is adequate for a large number of standard sizedoor jambs, door frames, and garage door frames. In some embodiments,the protective covers may provide a series of partially cut grooves thatare aligned at standard dimensions to provide for a user to cut along aselected groove and snap off an excess portion of the cover in order tohave the cover be the proper dimension in either width or length tomatch the surface being covered. In preferred embodiments, the groovesare formed by routing and removing only a portion along the coverpreferably without cutting all of the way through or forming holes orslots in the cover that may diminish the structural integrity of thecover. The grooves may be formed in various shapes such as in aV-shaped, rabbet, ogee shaped or more preferably in a round over shapethat forms a decorative curved bead along each side and removes anysharp edges along the groove. The round over routing shape as wellleaves substantial material in forming the bead to prevent fractures orunevenness along the material when cutting. The round over shape alsoforms a narrow channel for the user to easily insert the knife in andcut along to slice through the groove. Once cut, the user appliespressure to the unwanted portion that breaks off cleanly and evenly toremove the excess and properly dimension the cover for the jamb, frame,threshold, or trim that is smaller than the standard dimensioned cover.The protective covers of the present invention may also be used withweather stripping and trim pieces for jambs, frames and exterior trimsections that are larger than the protective cover. The presentinvention also provides pre-fit door jamb shield guards that may beinstalled to cover and seal only a portion of the door jamb that hasdeteriorated for example at the base of a door jamb which is a commonarea where the door jamb degrades over time.

The protective covers of the present invention may also in someembodiments be used to cover window jambs, frames, thresholds, andexterior trim. However, unlike the standard dimension of door jambs,window jambs and frames, thresholds, and exterior trim are frequently ofvarying lengths and widths instead of standard sizes. To addressnon-standard sizes, the protective covers which may also be referred toas protective restoration covers or RE-JAMB® protective covers arepre-dimensioned to available standard sizes in width and in length ofwindows, thresholds or trim and a number of partially cut grooves arealigned along the length of the protective cover and/or the width of thecover to provide for a portion of the cover that is closest to thenearest appropriate dimension to be removed to properly size theprotective cover in length and width to an adequate dimension for aparticular window jamb or frame to cover and seal the surface from theenvironment or to properly size the protective cover to seal a degradedthreshold or piece of exterior trim. Any number of grooves may beprovided along the exterior surface of the cover with any remaininggrooves providing a decorative element to the exterior surfaces sealedby the protective cover. When the appropriate dimension is chosen, autility knife is run along the groove and because the depth of thegroove extends almost through the thickness of the protective cover, theexcess piece is easily snapped off and removed from the cover exactlyalong the groove leaving a smooth uniform edge and a properlydimensioned cover. In other embodiments, the grooves may be providedalong the interior surface of the cover that is affixed to the jamb,frame or trim surface.

The RE-JAMB® protective covers are secured in place using an adhesivesealant, nails and/or other fasteners. The adhesive that is used is asealant of a high quality formulation that creates a water resistantsecure seal for a variety of surfaces and applications. The adhesivesealant may resist yellowing, cracking, chalking, and UV degradation. Inapplying the adhesive sealant, the adhesive sealant is extruded onto therear surface of the cover and may also be applied along the edges toprevent water and other environmental elements from seeping under thecover and destroying the wood or other material beneath. The covers maybe wiped clean and be painted or stained to match the coloring of thejamb, frame or exterior trim.

The RE-JAMB® protective covers are made from a free foam cellularpolyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim board or other simulated wood or compositethat is of a water and environmentally resistant plastic material thatis free of voids, holes, cracks, foreign inclusions and other defects.The grooves may be formed by routing along the length of the protectivecover at the standard dimensions most commonly used for the width ofdoor jambs, or by routing a number of grooves for example at every ¼ ofan inch or every ½ inch to provide for the proper amount of cover to beremoved to fit jambs, frames, thresholds, and trims of non-standarddimensions. Additional grooves may be formed at the top or bottom of thecover to provide for the cover to be dimensioned to the proper lengthfor a particular door jamb or frame, window jamb or frame, threshold ortrim piece.

The RE-JAMB® protective covers are formed in some embodiments with a 90°right angle extension along the length of the cover to align the coverand provide a perpendicular surface that abuts and seals along the faceof the jamb, frame or exterior trim. In other embodiments, the cover maybe formed with an angle extension that is greater than 90° and moreparticularly between 90° and 100° to accommodate a slope such as theslope of a threshold that extends down from the base of the door toprovide drainage. Protective covers with extension pieces at differentangles of more than or less than 90° to accommodate particular angles ofdoor or window jambs, frames or trim are contemplated within the scopeof the present invention. The restoration covers may be manufacturedthrough an extrusion or molding process to form the covers with thegrooves at appropriate dimensions to properly fit over standard andnon-standard jambs, frames and exterior trim of a building. Othermanufacturing processes to form the covers are within the scope of thepresent invention.

The present invention relates to protective cover comprising a rearedge, a flat surface extending from the rear edge and an extensionextending from the flat surface; at least one groove within the flatsurface; and wherein the protective cover is properly sized by cuttingalong the groove and removing material from the protective cover. Theprotective cover may be installed over and affixed to an exteriorsurface of a building. The protective cover may be dimensioned to astandard dimension of a jamb, frame, or trim. In some embodiments, theat least one groove extends along the entire length of the protectivecover. In some embodiments, the at least one groove extends along theentire width of the protective cover. In some embodiments, the at leastone groove has a round over shape. The round over shape forms a narrowchannel and leaves substantial material along the groove to preventfractures or unevenness along the material when cutting. The extensionof the protective cover may extend at an angle of 90 degrees, at anangle greater than 90 degrees, or at an angle less than 90 degrees. Theextension of the protective cover may extend at an angle of between 90degrees and 100 degrees to cover a threshold. The extension of theprotective cover may extend to the left from the flat surface to form aleft vertical protective cover or to the right to form a right verticalprotective cover. In some embodiments, the left vertical protectivecover and the right vertical protective cover each have one end cut atan angle of between 5 and 10 degrees. In some embodiments, the leftvertical protective cover and the right vertical protective cover havean upper edge formed at an angle of 45 degrees and an upper horizontalprotective cover may be formed having both ends formed at an angle of 45degrees; and the upper edge of the left and right vertical protectivecovers may mate with one of each end of the horizontal protective cover.The protective cover may be in a range of 6 inches to 30 inches inlength to cover the lower surface of a degraded door jamb.

The present invention is related to a method of repairing a jamb of adoor or window comprising cleaning a jamb; forming a protective coverhaving a rear edge, a flat surface extending from the rear edge, anextension extending from the flat surface and at least one groove;sizing the protective cover to a dimension matching the dimension of thejamb by cutting along the groove; snapping off excess material of theprotective cover along the groove; and aligning the extension over aface of the jamb; and installing the protective cover over the jamb.

The present invention is related to a method of repairing a garage doorframe comprising cleaning a garage door frame; applying adhesive to aprotective cover; and installing the protective cover over the garagedoor frame. The method of repairing a garage door frame may compriseapplying adhesive to a trim piece; installing the trim piece over thegarage door frame adjacent the protective cover. The method of repairinga garage door frame may comprise applying adhesive to a piece of weatherstripping; installing the piece of weather stripping over the garagedoor frame adjacent the protective cover.

These and other features, advantages and improvements according to thisinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingdetailed description and accompanying drawings. While references may bemade to upper, lower, vertical and horizontal, these terms are usedmerely to describe the relationship of covers to the surfaces beingcovered and not to limit the present invention to any one orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a degraded portion of a door jamb;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view an embodiment of the protective restorationcover of the present invention installed on the degraded door jamb ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a degraded door jamb and the verticaland horizontal protective covers of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the protective covers of the presentinvention installed to the degraded door jamb of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a door, door jamb, exterior trim andwall of a building;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a door, door jamb, exterior trim andwall of a building with the protective covers of the present inventioninstalled over the doorjamb;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a portion of a vertical protectivecover of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a horizontal protective cover of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6C is a perspective view of a portion of a degraded door jamb withadhesive;

FIG. 6D is a perspective view of the protective restoration covers ofthe present invention installed to the degraded door jamb of FIG. 6C;

FIG. 7A is an elevation view of an upper portion of an embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is an elevation view of a lower portion of the embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a perspective end view of a portion of an embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a door, door jamb, exterior trim andwall of a building with the protective restoration covers of the presentinvention installed;

FIG. 9A is an elevation view of an upper portion of an embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention;

FIG. 9B is an elevation view of a lower portion of the embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a perspective end view of a portion of the embodiment of thevertical protective cover of the present invention of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is an end view of a protective restoration cover of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10B is an end view of the protective restoration cover shown inFIG. 10A cut to a shorter width than shown in FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10C is an end view of the protective restoration cover shown inFIG. 10A cut to a shorter width than shown in FIG. 10B;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a door, exterior trim and wall of abuilding with a door jamb with a shorter width than the door jamb ofFIG. 8 with the protective restoration covers of the present inventioninstalled;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a door, exterior trim and wall of abuilding with a door jamb with a shorter width than the door jamb ofFIG. 11 with the protective restoration covers of the present inventioninstalled;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the protectiverestoration cover referred to herein as a jamb shield guard that coversonly a portion of a door jamb;

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the embodiment of the jamb shieldguards of FIG. 13 and a door with degraded door jambs;

FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the embodiment of the door withdegraded door jambs with the jamb shield guards installed;

FIG. 15A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the protectiverestoration covers referred to herein as a jamb shield guards that coveronly a portion of a door jamb with grooves at different pre-dimensionedwidths;

FIG. 15B is a perspective view of another embodiment of the protectiverestoration covers referred to herein as the jamb shield guards thatcover only a portion of a door jamb with a groove cut at apre-dimensioned width;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a window, window jamb, exteriortrim and wall of a building;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of a further embodiment ofthe protective restoration cover of the present invention having anumber of grooves;

FIG. 18A is a perspective view of a portion of the further embodiment ofa pre-dimensioned protective restoration cover of FIG. 17 having one ormore grooves for various window jamb widths, window frames, and exteriortrim;

FIG. 18B is a perspective view of a portion of the further embodiment ofa pre-dimensioned protective restoration cover of FIG. 18A cut at one ofthe pre-dimensioned grooves for various window jamb widths, windowframes, and exterior trim;

FIG. 19A is an end view of the further embodiment of the protectiverestoration cover of the present invention of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19B is an end view of the further embodiment of the protectiverestoration cover of the present invention cut to a shorter width thanshown in FIG. 19A;

FIG. 19C is an end view of the further embodiment of the protectiverestoration cover of the present invention cut to a shorter width thanshown in FIG. 19B; and

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a window, window jamb, exteriortrim and wall of a building with the further embodiment of theprotective restoration covers of the present invention installed;

FIG. 21A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the protective coverof the present invention sized to cover a threshold of a door;

FIG. 21B is a perspective view of the embodiment of the protective coverof the present invention of FIG. 21A installed on a threshold of a door;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of still further embodiment of aprotective restoration cover with an extension that is at an angle thatis greater than 90 degrees;

FIG. 23A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the protective coverof the present invention sized to cover the damaged frame of a garagedoor; and

FIG. 23B is a perspective view of the embodiment of the protective coverof the present invention of FIG. 23A installed on the frame of a garagedoor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Over time, paint 2 or sealant on the exterior surface of a door jamb 4may chip and peel, as shown in FIG. 1, leaving the door jamb 4susceptible to degradation by wind, rain, cold, and other environmentalelements or pests. Particularly at the base of the door jamb 4 where thedoor 5 meets the threshold 3 and along the threshold 3 where rain andmelted snow drain down along the slanted surface of the threshold, thepaint 2 very often peels. The slant for drainage of the threshold may beat a minimal angle Ø_(T) of only between 5° and 10° and most commonly atan angle of about 6° for most exterior doors. As shown in FIG. 2, thepresent invention is a pre-dimensioned RE-JAMB® protective cover 10 thatmay be installed over a door jamb 4 and be sealed along the slantedsurface of the threshold 3 and along the weather stripping 11 that isaligned along the door 5 to protect and prevent further degradation ofthe exterior surface of the door jamb 4. In some embodiments, thepre-dimensioned protective covers of the present invention are cut orformed to standard door and window jamb lengths and widths to be alignedand affixed to the surface of a jamb, frame, threshold or portion ofexterior trim. In other embodiments protective cover 10 may be easilymodified to fit and cover smaller sized jambs, frames or exterior trimusing unique preformed grooves 35 that make the cover easy to re-size sothat a repair can be performed by any homeowner or individual of limitedtechnical ability. The grooves are a distinctive feature of the RE-JAMB®protective cover because they are formed by routing along the materialto cut out a portion of the material without effecting the structuralintegrity or resilience of the material. The groove of the protectivecover is unlike a perforated line of punctures or slots that gocompletely through the material and weaken the material along theperforation. By routing and only partially cutting through the material,the groove forms a line of material that is thinner and easier to cutthrough, but that does not have any openings or weakened line ofmaterial that may easily break when transporting or installing theprotective cover, particularly where the environmentally resistantcomposites may sometimes be brittle types of materials. The grooves maybe formed in various shapes such as in a V-shape, rabbet or ogee shapeor more preferably in a round over shape that forms a decorative curvedbead along each side and removes any sharp edges along the groove. Theround over routing also forms a narrow channel 34 for the user toprovide for the user to easily cut along and slice through the groove.The round over routing also leaves a sufficient amount of material oneach edge of the groove to produce a smooth and rigid edge when cut thatwill not fracture or break unevenly. Using the round over shape or otherstyles and shapes, the edges of the remaining grooves create adecorative element to the protective cover.

In a preferred embodiment the protective cover used on the sides of adoor jamb 4 is pre-cut at one end at an angle Ø_(C) of between 5° and10° and more preferably at 6° to match the minimal angle Ø_(T) of theslant of the threshold and to mate and maintain contact with the slantedsurface of the threshold. This is an important feature that preventsgaps between the protective cover and the threshold 3 at a point proneto degradation. The angle Ø_(C) of the cover assists in the applicationof an adhesive sealant 17 along the base of the cover 10 and threshold 3to seal and prevent water from seeping behind the cover and damaging thewood underneath. This unique feature addresses and repairs a very commonproblem of leaking at the bottom of the door jamb and threshold that ifleft untreated can result in rot and mold effecting the structuralintegrity of a building.

For a door, the protective covers, as shown in FIG. 3A, arepre-dimensioned to a standard size as a left side vertical cover 10, aright side vertical cover 12 and a top horizontal cover 14. Thepre-dimensioned protective covers 10, 12 and 14 are installed over eachexterior surface of the left and right door jamb and the upper jambusing an adhesive, nails, brads, and/or other fasteners to completelyseal the cover to the jamb 4. The protective door jamb covers are showninstalled to the door jamb 4 in FIG. 3B. The cover 12 is of a minimalthickness that when installed provides adequate space and clearance fora lock 1 or door knob 7 to not interfere with the cover 12 when openingor closing the door 5. The covers may be painted or stained to matchother exterior trim 6 or complement the exterior walls 9 of thebuilding.

As shown in FIG. 4, a door jamb 4 abuts an exterior wall 9 of a buildingthat surrounds an exterior door 5. On the face 31 of the door jamb 4, acasing 6 or exterior trim extends over the door jamb 4 and seals overthe shell of the exterior wall 9. The exterior surfaces of the casing 6and door jamb 4 are susceptible to wear and commonly as wood products,must be periodically repainted or stained to seal the door 5 and trim 6from the elements. The door 5 may have a door frame 16 holding glasswindows or door panels 8 with a hinge 15 adjacent an interior casing 13affixing the door 5 to the door jamb 4. The interior casing 13 or trimis installed along the door jamb 4 and wall 9. A first embodiment of thepre-dimensioned protective restoration covers 10 and 12 are installedalong each exterior surface of each door jamb 4 to the left and right ofthe door 5 using an adhesive, nails, brads, and/or other fasteners tocompletely seal the cover to the jamb 4 as shown in FIG. 5. A rightangle extension 27 of the protective covers 10 and 12 extends over theface 31 of the door jamb 4 to abut along the exterior trim 6.

As shown in FIGS. 6A-6D, a horizontal protective cover 14 is installedto the upper surface of the door jamb 4 with the right angle extension27 of the horizontal cover 14 aligning along the face 31 of the upperdoor jamb 4. In preferred embodiments, to install the protective cover14, a suitable amount of the adhesive 17 is applied using a caulking gunor other tool along a portion of the upper door jamb 4. The adhesive 17may be applied linearly along the length of the jamb 4 and then in azigzag pattern. It is important that the application of adhesive 17 isadequate to prevent the protective cover from coming loose over time,although an excessive amount is not needed where the excess will spreadout of the cover and may be unsightly when dried. The left verticalcover 10 is then aligned along the left door jamb 4. The base of theprotective cover is pre-cut at the angle Ø_(C) so that the base of theleft vertical cover 10 mates with the angle Ø_(T) of the slanted surfaceof the threshold 3 to minimize and prevent gaps between the cover 10 andthe threshold 3. The top of the left vertical cover 10 mates with thehorizontal protective cover 14. Adhesive 17 is applied to the leftvertical surface of the door jamb 4 and the left vertical protectivecover 10 is installed. Once the left vertical protective cover 10 isproperly secured in place, adhesive 17 is applied along the base of thecover 10 as shown in FIG. 2 to seal the pre-cut angular base to thethreshold 3 and prevent water from leaking behind the protective cover10 and destroying the wood underneath. Each section of the jamb 4 may bedone separately and the right vertical cover 12 may be installed byrepeating the steps. Alternatively, the protective covers may be affixedto the surfaces of the door jamb 4 using brads, nails, and/or otherfasteners which may then be sealed using adhesive sealant 17.

In some embodiments, the protective cover has a straight uniform rearedge 28 substantially perpendicular to the axis X, as shown in FIGS.7A-7C. Each upper end surface 18 of the left and right vertical covers10 and 12 may be formed at a 45° angle to mate with 45° angles formed onboth end surfaces 19 of the upper horizontal protective cover 14 foreasier alignment and installation. As described herein an importantfeature of the protective cover is forming the base of the left andright vertical covers 10 and 12 with the pre-cut angle Ø_(C) to minimizeor prevent any gaps between the cover and the door threshold 3 thatcould allow water to damage the wood behind the cover. The base of thedoor jamb 4 is a very vulnerable location for leaking and degradation ofthe door jamb 4. The present invention with this unique feature repairsthis common problem. The base 21 of the cover is pre-cut at the angleØ_(C) that is in a range of 5°-10° and more specifically at an angle ofapproximately 6° from the axis X which is perpendicular to the roundededge 33 of the protective cover as shown in FIG. 7B. The angle providesfor the base 21 to be fitted without gaps to the door threshold 3 and besealed with adhesive to prevent precipitation from seeping behind theprotective cover and damaging the wood below. In some embodiments,particularly for door jambs of non-standard lengths, the grooves 23 maybe routed in parallel to the angled base 21 of the cover to provide forthe removal of excess material for door jambs of smaller lengths, asshown in FIG. 7B. In other embodiments, particularly for window jambs,frames, thresholds or exterior trim that may be of non-standard lengths,the base of the cover may be formed along the X-axis so that the base isperpendicular to the length of the cover 10. The grooves in theseembodiments are also formed perpendicularly to the length. Similarly, tothe grooves that are cut and snapped off to adjust the width, the basegrooves 23 may provide for material to be easily removed from the basein order to fit the cover properly over the jamb 4, frame, threshold 3,or trim. The grooves 23 may extend along the rounded edge 33 and rightangled extension 27.

The protective covers have a flat exterior surface 25 that extends fromthe rear edge 28 to the rounded edge 33 that forms the 90° right angleextension 27 along the length of the cover. The right angle extension 27provides a perpendicular interior surface 29 as shown in FIG. 7C, thatabuts and seals along the face 31 of the jamb 4 or exterior facingsurface of a frame, threshold or exterior trim to provide support forthe cover to be easily aligned and secured in place using the adhesive17 or other fastener. The edge 33 along the extension 27 is rounded andsmooth to prevent sharp edges that may catch or be damaged. Afterinstallation, any gaps between the protective covers 10, 12, and 14 andthe threshold 3 or casing 6 should be filled with the adhesive 17 tocompletely seal the door jamb 4. All excessive adhesive 17 should beremoved and the protective cover surfaces 25 may be cleaned and paintedor stained to match the exterior walls 9 or trim 6 of the building.

A further embodiment of the present invention allows the user to customfit the present invention to non-standard or smaller standard sized dooror window jamb widths or other exterior trim surfaces. In thisembodiment, one or more grooves 35 are formed or routed along the widthof the protective covers 20 and 22 at distances that correspond to oneor more additional standard sizes for a door jamb 4, as shown in FIG. 8.The grooves 35 are formed in the cover with a round over shape or inother shapes that may provide an aesthetic design. The round over shapemay provide additional material along the edges of the groove to preventfractures and uneven shearing when a groove is cut through using autility knife. The round over shape also provides a narrow channel 34for the knife to be inserted into to easily cut along the groove 35. Fora standard size door jamb 4 the grooves 35 provide an unobtrusiveelement along the length of the jamb as shown in FIGS. 9A-9C forming afirst surface 37, a second surface 39 and a third surface 41 from theexterior surface 25 of the cover. The grooves and other features such asthe right angle extension 27, the rounded edge 33, the surface end 18formed as a 45° angle to mate with other restoration covers, and thebase 21 formed at the angle Ø_(C) which may be in a range of 5°-10° andmay more specifically at an angle of approximately 6° to accommodate theangle Ø_(T) of the threshold 3, are all important elements of thisfurther embodiment of the protective covers.

As shown in FIGS. 10A-10C, the protective restoration cover isdimensioned at a largest standard size C and the grooves 35 are alignedat a smaller standard size B and an even smaller standard size A toprovide for a single cover to be used to seal door jamb widths of threedifferent standard sizes. Any number of grooves 35 can be routed intothe cover to accommodate jambs and trim of various dimensions for doorsand windows in both commercial and residential buildings. The thicknesst required for the restoration cover does not need to be more than aminimal thickness to seal adequately and structurally support theprotective cover against the door jamb 4. The thickness may be in arange from 1/16 inch to 7/16 inch taking into account the space requiredto accommodate a hand turning a doorknob 7 or turning a key in a lock 1.For smaller width jambs, the cover can be cut through the groove using autility knife-like tool and then the excess material can be snapped off.The rigidity of the composite material that forms the protective coverprovides for the excess material and the routing of the groove withoutfully cutting through cover which provides for the edge to cleanly breakalong a break point of the groove to form a uniform edge along thecover.

As shown in FIG. 11, to fit a smaller standard width degraded door jamb4, the protective covers 20 and 22 are cut along the groove 35 at thestandard size B using a utility knife. The excess material 41 is thensnapped off and removed from the cover. The newly dimensioned piece isthen installed to the door jamb 4 using adhesive 17 or another fastener.For an even smaller standard width door jamb 4 the protective covers 20and 22 are cut along the second groove 35 at the standard size A and theexcess material at 41 and 39 are snapped off to fit the smaller standardsize as shown in FIG. 12. In this manner the same cover can bepre-dimensioned and grooved to fit door jambs of different standardsizes. The protective covers as shown wrap around the jamb 4 and extendto the exterior casing 6 to shield the wooden jamb from weather andpests.

In a further embodiment, the present invention allows for a user to usethe protective restoration cover to cover a smaller portion of a doorjamb 4 rather than the entire door jamb. The restoration cover sectionsor jamb shield guards 30 and 32 are in a range of 6 inches to 30 incheslong and more preferably 12 inches in length as shown in FIG. 13. Thebase 21 of the shield guard is cut at angle Ø_(C) which may be in arange of 5°-10° and may be more specifically at an angle ofapproximately 6° angle from the axis X or at any angle that is needed toaccommodate the slant of a threshold, an angled frame or angled piece ofexterior trim. As previously described, the angle Ø_(C) provides for theshield guard to securely fit to a threshold 3 and be sealed withadhesive 17 to prevent precipitation from seeping behind the restorationcover and damaging the wood below. The top edge 38 is rounded or angledand extends along the right angle extension 27 to deflect anyprecipitation away from the building. Similarly, to the full protectivecovers, the edge 33 from the front surface 25 is rounded to theextension 27 with the rear interior surface 29 of the extension 27wrapping around the face 31 of the door jamb 4 providing for thealignment and sealing of the jamb shield guard to the base of the doorjamb 4. As shown in FIG. 14A, a left jamb shield guard 30 and a rightjamb shield guard 32 is provided for the lower portion 36 of each doorjamb 4 where higher degradation and pealing of the paint or stain iscommon. The lower portion 36 of the door jamb 4 is cleaned and any loosepaint chips are removed and adhesive 17 is applied to the lower portion36. Each of the left and right jamb shield guards 30 and 32 are thenaligned and installed to cover and seal the lower portion 36 of the doorjamb 4 as shown in FIG. 14B. The exterior surface 25 of the shieldguards 30 and 32 are primarily flat and can be of any color to matchexisting trim or be painted or stained.

In a further embodiment as shown in FIG. 15A, the jamb shield guards 30and 32 may have grooves 35 to properly size the shields for door jambs 4of smaller dimensions as described above. As described, the grooves 35are formed along standard dimensions for door jamb widths, and theshield guards 30 and 32 are resized by cutting along the appropriategroove 35 using a utility knife. The round over routing shape of thegrooves 35 leaves substantial material in forming a bead along thegroove which helps to prevent fractures or unevenness of the materialwhen cutting. The round over shape also forms a narrow channel 34 forthe user to easily insert the knife in and cut along to slice throughthe groove. The excess material 41 is then snapped off of the shieldguards 30 and 32 to produce a clean uniform edge 43, as shown in FIG.15B.

The present invention further provides for protective covers to be usedto cover window jambs, frames, and exterior trim. As shown in FIG. 16, awindow jamb 54 similarly surrounds a window frame 55 and mounts thewindow to the wall of a building. Exterior casing 56 aligns along thewindow jamb 54 and exterior surface of the wall 59 and interior trim 53is installed along the window jamb 54 and interior surface of the wall59. The window frame 55 holds the glass window panes 58. However, unlikethe width of door jambs 4, window jambs 54 and frames 55 as well asexterior trim 56 are of varying widths with very few standard sizes. Forwindows, the protective covers are cut, extruded or molded to standardwindow sizes in length and in width. A number of partially cut grooves35 are aligned along the length of the protective cover, as shown inFIG. 17, and/or the width of the cover to provide for excess material atthe nearest appropriate dimension to be removed to properly size theprotective cover in length and width to an adequate dimension for aparticular window jamb 54 or frame to cover and seal the jamb or framefrom the environment. The top 68 of the protective cover 62 may beformed at a 45° angle as described previously to mate with the 45°angled ends of a horizontal cover installed along the top of the windowjamb 54. The cover 62 is formed with a 90° right angle extension 67along the length of the cover 62 to provide a perpendicular interiorsurface 69 that abuts and seals along the face 51 of the window jamb 54to provide support for the cover 62 to be easily aligned and secured inplace using the adhesive 17 or other fastener. The edge 63 along theextension 67 is rounded and smooth to prevent sharp edges that may catchor be damaged.

As shown in FIG. 18A, any number of grooves 35 may be provided along theexterior surface 65 of the cover 62 with any remaining grooves 35providing a decorative element to the window cover. The grooves 35 maybe of one or of various shapes to form particular decorative elements inthe cover. When the appropriate dimension is chosen, a utility knife isrun along the groove 35 and because the depth of the groove extendsalmost through the thickness of the pre-dimensioned cover 62 but notentirely through and there are no holes or slots the excess piece 71 iseasily snapped off, as shown in FIG. 18B, and removed from the cover 62exactly along the groove leaving a smooth uniform edge 73. As shown inFIG. 19A, the restoration cover 62 is dimensioned at a largest standardsize F and the grooves 35 are aligned at smaller non-standard sizes Athrough E with the non-standard size A being the smallest size andnon-standard size E being the second to largest size. Anypre-dimensioned size may be selected and with small distances of ⅛ inchto ½ inch between the grooves 35 provides for many options available toaccommodate many sizes of window jambs 54, frames, thresholds, orexterior trim. As shown in FIG. 19B, any groove may be selected such asalong the non-standard size E that with the small distances between thegrooves will provide sufficient sealing of the jamb 54. The remaininggrooves 35 provide an unobtrusive element along the length of the jamb62 adding a pleasing design element. For smaller window jambs 54, thenon-standard size C may be selected as an example. In this manner, thegrooves 35 provide for a single cover to be used to seal door jambs ofmany different standard sizes. The protective covers 60 and 62 areinstalled to the window jamb 54 as shown in FIG. 20.

The door restoration covers may be made from a free foam cellularpolyvinyl chloride (PVC) trim board or other simulated wood or compositethat is of a water and environmentally resistant material that is freeof voids, holes, cracks, foreign inclusions and other defects. Therestoration covers may be cut and routed from the PVC trim board that iscut to a standard length for a door or window jamb. The PVC trim boardmay be of a thickness from ¼ inch to 1 inch of a width from 4 to 6inches or of any dimension that is larger than standard door or windowjamb sizes. The corners of the PVC trim board are square, and the topand bottom surfaces are flat with no convex or concave deviation. Inmanufacturing the restoration cover, the PVC trim board width is cut orripped down to the largest of a standard door or window jamb size. Theedges of the trim board are rounded and the grooves are routed along onesurface of the cover. Alternatively, the protective covers may bemanufactured through a molding process to form the covers with thegrooves and rounded edges, or through an extrusion process to form thegrooves and cut the covers to the proper length and width. The groovesare preferably formed using a round over shape and without completelycutting through the material in order to maintain the structuralintegrity of the cover, provide a narrow channel 34 that may be easilycut along and prevent fractures and uneven edges along the cut. Inalternative embodiments within the scope of the present invention, thegrooves may be formed in various other shapes and be formed as a seriesof holes or slots along the length or width of the cover.

The protective restoration covers may further be included in a kit thatincludes an adhesive 17 and provides for a homeowner to easily size thecovers to the appropriate dimension using a utility knife and performthe repair. The present invention, however is not recommended for usewhere due to age and neglect a door jamb 4 or window jamb 54 is rottedunderneath and extensive structural damage has occurred to the house orbuilding. The present invention should only be used before any severewood rot issues have affected the structural integrity. The restorationcovers of the present invention will seal wood trim from any furtherdegradation; however, the installation over rotted frames and trim maycause serious damage to the house or structure behind the trim that mayworsen overtime. A careful check for rot such as by taking a screwdriverand pushing on the wood is required prior to installation of theprotective restoration covers. If the screwdriver goes through the wood,that is an indication that the wood is rotted and replacement of thestructural components of the building and frame must be completed withand/or in place of installing the protective restoration covers of thepresent invention.

In installing the protective restoration covers of the presentinvention, it is advisable that any surface debris such as dirt andpaint chips remaining on the jamb, frame or trim be removed and cleaned.Any gaps in the wood should be caulked to prevent further degradationbefore installation of the restoration covers. The weather stripping 11traditionally used between the jamb 4 and the door 5 or window 58, maybe replaced prior to installation of the restoration covers or shieldguards to assist with sealing the outdoor elements out and keepingheating or cooling within the building or structure. The protectiverestoration cover is then sized and positioned to be properly fittedover each section of the jamb, frame, or trim. The pre-fit pieces of theprotective restoration covers are sized to fit most standard door orwindow jambs and for doors most are sized in one of the three standarddimensions. For larger standard door jambs, the cover pieces should fitwithout any modification to the pre-cut dimensions. For smaller ornon-standard jambs, frames or trim, the restoration cover may be sizedby cutting along the pre-formed grooves with a utility knife andbreaking off the excess material. In this manner, a single cover may beused to seal and protect jambs, frames and trims of various sizes. Onceinstalled, final caulking along the seams and corners of the cover sealsand protects the jamb, frame, or trim underneath. The protective coversmay then be painted or stained to match the exterior trim of thebuilding.

The RE-JAMB® protective cover 70 of the present invention may also beinstalled on the threshold 3 of a door 5 to repair a degraded threshold3, as shown in FIG. 21A. In some embodiments, a horizontal cover 14 isof the appropriate length for most thresholds and the grooves along thelength of the cover 14 provide for the width of the cover to be sizedappropriately to the width of the threshold 3. Using a utility knife, agroove of the proper dimension is removed from the cover. The cover isthen installed to the threshold using adhesive 17 and is sealed to thebase of the left and right door jamb 4 or to protective covers or jambshields of the present invention if also installed to door jamb 4, asshown in FIG. 21B. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 22, theprotective cover 72 may be formed with an extension 74 that extends fromthe flat exterior surface 76 at an angle Ø_(P) that is greater than 90°to accommodate for the slant of a threshold or for a frame or trim piecethat has an extension that is at an angle that is greater than 90° inorder to have the extension 74 of the cover 72 make contact and minimizeor prevent gaps between the cover 72 and surface of the threshold, frameor trim. Preferably, the extension angle Ø_(P) is between 90° and 100°and more particularly 96° to match the slope of a threshold that iscommonly at an angle of 6° for drainage. Other embodiments of theprotective cover may be formed with an extension that extends from theflat exterior surface at an angle that is less than 90° to similarlymaintain contact and prevent gaps particularly for a frame piece such asa windowsill that extends out from the building and has a slanted frontsurface. The protective cover 72 may have a series of grooves 78perpendicular to the length of the cover to properly size the cover tothe length of a threshold, frame or piece of trim as shown, or along thelength of the cover to size the cover 72 to the appropriate width.

The RE-JAMB® protective cover 70 of the present invention may also beinstalled to the frame 80 of a garage door 82 that supports the garagedoor 82 on a building 84. As shown in FIG. 23A, a garage door that hasbeen damaged or that is degrade may be repaired by installing a properlysized protective cover 86 to the outer edge 88 of the frame 80. Garagedoor frames are very often standard sizes but in some instances thewidth of the frame 80 may be larger than the protective cover 86. Insome embodiments, a second protective cover such as one having multiplegrooves may be sized to cover any uncovered portions of the frame 80.Alternatively, a rectangular trim piece 90 may be installed with thecover 86 to fully cover and repair the frame 80. Replacement weatherstripping 92 that is available in proper lengths for the frame 80 of thegarage door 82 may also be installed in the repair as shown in FIG. 23B.By using the protective cover 84 of the present invention, the frame 80of the garage door 82 may be repaired without replacing the frame 80 orrequiring the removal of the garage door 82, the track railings or anyother components from the garage door 82 thereby saving costs and notrequiring a high level of skill to perform the repair.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference tocertain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective cover comprising: a rear edge, aflat surface extending from the rear edge and an extension extendingfrom the flat surface; at least one groove within the flat surface; andwherein the protective cover is properly sized by cutting along thegroove and removing material from the protective cover.
 2. Theprotective cover of claim 1 wherein the protective cover is installedover and affixed to an exterior surface of a building.
 3. The protectivecover of claim 1 wherein the protective cover is dimensioned to astandard dimension of a jamb, frame, or trim.
 4. The protective cover ofclaim 1 wherein the at least one groove extends along the entire lengthof the protective cover.
 5. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein theat least one groove extends along the entire width of the protectivecover.
 6. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein the at least onegroove having a round over shape.
 7. The protective cover of claim 6wherein the round over shape forms a narrow channel.
 8. The protectivecover of claim 6 wherein the round over shape leaves substantialmaterial along the groove to prevent fractures or unevenness along thematerial when cutting.
 9. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein theextension extends at an angle of 90 degrees.
 10. The protective cover ofclaim 1 wherein the extension extends at an angle greater than 90degrees.
 11. The protective cover of claim 1 wherein the extensionextends at an angle less than 90 degrees.
 12. The protective cover ofclaim 1 wherein the extension extends at an angle of between 90 degreesand 100 degrees to cover a threshold.
 13. The protective cover of claim1 wherein the extension extends to the left from the flat surface toform a left vertical protective cover or to the right to form a rightvertical protective cover.
 14. The protective cover of claim 13 whereinthe left vertical protective cover and the right vertical protectivecover each having one end cut at an angle of between 5 and 10 degrees.15. The protective cover of claim 13 wherein the left verticalprotective cover and the right vertical protective cover having an upperedge formed at an angle of 45 degrees and an upper horizontal protectivecover is formed having both ends formed at an angle of 45 degrees; andwherein the upper edge of the left and right vertical protective coversmate with one of each end of the horizontal protective cover.
 16. Theprotective cover of claim 1 wherein the protective cover is in a rangeof 6 inches to 30 inches in length to cover the lower surface of adegraded door jamb.
 17. A method of repairing a jamb of a door or windowcomprising: cleaning a jamb; forming a protective cover having a rearedge, a flat surface extending from the rear edge, an extensionextending from the flat surface and at least one groove; sizing theprotective cover to a dimension matching the dimension of the jamb bycutting along the groove; snapping off excess material of the protectivecover along the groove; and aligning the extension over a face of thejamb; and. installing the protective cover over the jamb.
 18. A methodof repairing a garage door frame comprising: cleaning a garage doorframe; applying adhesive to a protective cover; and installing theprotective cover over the garage door frame.
 19. The method of repairinga garage door frame of claim 18 comprising applying adhesive to a trimpiece; installing the trim piece over the garage door frame adjacent theprotective cover.
 20. The method of repairing a garage door frame ofclaim 18 comprising: applying adhesive to a piece of weather stripping;installing the piece of weather stripping over the garage door frameadjacent the protective cover.